GLOBALIZATION AND THE REPRESENTATION OF RURALITY - ALPINE OPEN-AIR MUSEUMS IN ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL-SOCIETIES

Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Japan have built major open-air muse ums dedicated to the preservation of the traditional rural architectur e of their alpine regions. These museums are highly popular tourist at tractions. An analysis of the visual presentation and museological int erpretation of their exhibits shows that all museums create an idealiz ed image of the rural past but differ strongly in their critical inter pretation of this image. Visitor data, however, show that the vast maj ority of visitors has little interest in official interpretations, inc luding those designed to counteract the visual idealization of rural h eritage. The analysis concludes that for the tourist masses, the museu ms function as visual expressions of a contemporary agrarianism rooted in a common nostalgic response to modernity in the four societies. As such, the museums also illustrate the process of cultural globalizati on among advanced industrial societies.